Before I go on, I want to speak on the Spartan conditions you see pictured in most of my posts. Yes, T2 and I often dine on a filing cabinet while sitting in camping chairs. Notice, however, the lovely tablecloth I now have on top of the filing cabinet. Spartan chique! Tres chic!
Oh, and if you are wondering who T2 is, that is the benefactor of my lovely company and foodifyings. You all should also find a volunteer to try out all of your cooking/company, too. I assure you--no one turns down free food and it will also encourage you to rise to greater culinary heights, without turning you into one of those annoying people who can't stop talking about their "love."

My heart beets with a sanguine fervor for one thing--beets. Since beets are also really healthy for your blood, you can better appreciate my cunning word play.

Beetsacado Crostinis

1. Take one avocado and mash it up. Add salt and pepper and enough lemon juice to taste (this also prevents the avocado from oxidizing. Mmm, sexy chemistry.)

2. Roast some baby beets or regular beets in the oven. I wrap each one in tin foil and bake at 425 for about 15 mins. Peeling is a cinch after.

3. Assemble crostinis by doing a layer of avocado and a layer of diced beets on a slice of toasted bread.

4. Crucial step invented by me: find pomegranate molasses todrizzle beets with. Trust me. I will be buried in fan mail for this step alone (I wish). Chiffonade some basil and even more crucial, *smoked salt* on top of all this.

Speaking of smoking, ever since I found out my friend Clare and her hubby have a smoker, I have forced them to adopt me so I can make everything smoked. Below you see me smoking some Greek olive oil infused with rosemary. The fumes clearly make me giddy!

I served the beetsacado crostini with some black-eyed pea hummus with smoked Spanish paprika. Recipe for that one is forthcoming, but considering I totally invented the recipeoff the top of my head, you might as well do the same :) But I promise a recipe, fret not.

Moving on to more beets. If you read my blog a lot, you know of my obsession with all things Tunisian. So below, I present to you the so-called Tunisian pink salad, which is a riff on this. The way you will know you did that one right is...if you flushed beet purple with sheer delight, you did it right! No. But the way I was taught to gauge how ready it is if it is "glistening."

Tunisian "Pink Salad"

Boil: beets, potatoes, and carrots. Mash all of them together. Non-vegan option: hard boil two eggs and mash those in there, too. Next, add some vegan mayo (which tastes better than regular, I promise) and some harissa. Mix all of these. Add some really good olive oil; chop some cilantro finely and add it. Enjoy with a nice crusty loaf of bread and olives. Mmmmmediterranean deliciousness!